I knew I wanted a horror film on this list but when it came to what film to include I couldn’t decide as they all seemed as equally bad/good. So I thought why not dedicate a whole post to the massively underrated genre of Christmas horror films (insert heavy dose of sarcasm here).
In all seriously though I do genuinely love a horror film at Christmas as I don’t think there’s a better way to count your blessings than to see someone on screen literally have the worst Christmas ever. You might be unlucky such as in the case of Krampus and your family is being hunted by a horned demon from folklore and his evil elves, or maybe your new pet has spawned evil lizard skinned creatures such as in Gremlins, or maybe it’s just that your sorority house has just been revisted by the cannibalistic son who used to live there as in Black Christmas. Either way as an audience member you’ll realise you have a lot of blessings to count.
You certainly won’t find the smartest or scariest horror films in this genre but they’re the perfect guilty pleasure films, and sometimes the source of a good laugh considering how laughably bad some of them are.
Not to mention that there’s a film for someone on either end of the horror film fan scale, from Gremlins which definitely errs on the black comedy side of things, to the original Black Christmas which provides jump scares whilst the remake is a full on slasher flick. Other highlights (or lowlights depending on your preference), include Jack Frost where a serial killer comes back as a killer snowman, Silent Night Zombie Night (pretty self explanatory there), or one of the many evil Santa films, you’ll find the perfect film for every type of horror fan.
After today we’ll be returning to the typical Christmas genre films but I just thought I’d include a few suggestions for someone looking for something a little different this Christmas time (and maybe a little scare). Please, please, please let me know if you’ve seen any of these films, or whether you have a personal favourite horror film as I’d love to know if there’s any other hidden gems out there!
This more than any other film I saw this year complete blew me away in terms of sheer originality and being unlike anything else I have even seen at the cinema. They provide us with a lead female character deserving of modern cinema as well as stellar performances from every member of the cast, and special effects that will literally take your breath away.
As previously mentioned this is one of the greatest hidden gems of this year and has as a result been topping the lists of all the top film reviewers. It’s one of the creepiest films I’ve seen in years and with an awesome soundtrack that sounds like it belongs to an 8-bit game it’s a truly modern horror, with a truly modern “monster”.
Initially I was dragged to this by my father who’s a life long Beach Boys fan but I was blown away not only by the film, but the true life story behind it. It takes an innovative perspective in the use of two separate periods in Brian Wilson’s life which interweave to tell the story to great effect. But it’s the seamless performances by both Paul Dano and John Cusack representing Brian Wilson at opposing times in his life that brings the film together and allows you to fully appreciate the genius behind the fantastic songs.
After years of waiting I was over the moon to find that Star Wars exceeded all my possible expectations. Not to mention my childhood joy to find that (SPOILER ALERT) the main protagonist and future jedi was a girl! And an incredibly bad-ass one at that. The chemistry between the new characters is fantastic and I loved the obvious effort that was made to ensure the film appealed to old and new fans alike. The fact I’ve already seen it twice should prove just how much I love it.
Another one for my inner child this was one of the most beautiful films I saw this year, from the costumes to the sets. Not to mention the perfect casting of Lily James and Richard Madden meant I fell completely in love with the story again, and left me leaving the cinema completely gutted that I was too old to be able to go buy a costume.
The opposite end of the spectrum here with what is probably best described as Guillermo Del Toro’s take on the Victorian Gothic. Another film that is perfect in creating it’s own complex world as well as displaying the level of stunning detail that’s expected when watching Del Toro’s films. It’s also brilliantly gruesome and chilling and is another film that completely overwhelms your senses and provides the perfect escape.
Although this film does have some obvious flaws upon watching, it found its place on my list due to the brilliant performances by Tom Hardy and Emily Browning. While Hardy deserves a nomination of some sort for conveying both brothers superbly, it’s the attention to detail in creating the Kray’s world that really draws you in. Plus who doesn’t love a gangster film.
Another one of the biggest films of this year this is probably the most unoriginal on the list but that’s exactly why I loved it. It makes no excuses and does exactly what it says on the *metaphorical* tin brilliantly. The scene with Chris Pratt riding through the forest with velociraptors sums it up best, it’s dangerous, exciting and most importantly just awesome.
This is one of those examples of films that even from the previews is so highly raved about that it almost has the opposite effect in that it puts you off wanting to see it. By the time I finally got round to watching it I was so annoyed at myself for wasting so much time as surprise surprise, it completely lived up to the hype. Another example that 2015 was the year of Alicia Vikander, while Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac round out the small yet perfectly formed cast, all giving subtle yet award winning performances. Without giving too much away it’s a science fiction film for the noughties, and frighteningly real enough that it leaves you seriously chilled.
Another that I was dragged to by my father and another that taught me to always trust him when it comes to picking films. What I thought was going to be another stranded in space sob-fest (pretty much how I felt about Interstellar) it turned out I was completely wrong. While not only being one of the funniest films I saw this year it was also one of the smartest, and a welcome change from the serious, weighty recent movies of the genre such as Gravity and the aforementioned Interstellar.The vibrant soundtrack in combination with the real scientific truth behind it combine to create one of the most interesting and watchable films of the year.
Gingham and Glitter 